Monicea Brown, now 16, is a sophomore heading into her sixth year with River City Youth Ops (formerly Project Hope). She spends two hours on the city bus each day to reach her school in Spokane Valley. Monicea’s hard work is paying off, though; in December she and other top math students were honored with a day trip to Sandpoint, ID.

Her big dream? To be the first person in her family to graduate from high school and, one day, a nurse in the NICU.